Honda secures 2017 Constructor Title in Malaysia, Rider Title to be decided in Valencia

In typical Malaysian fashion, the sun that had shone until half an hour before the start of the MotoGP race was replaced by a sudden heavy thunderstorm that did not last long but left the track completely soaked.

Marc Marquez, on a rain front Michelin tyre and a medium rear, got away brilliantly from the third row and completed the first lap in third place. He was passed by Andrea Dovizioso on the fifth lap, and when he realized that he could not match the pace of the three frontrunners, he settled for fourth place which, combined with the achievements of Dani Pedrosa and Cal Crutchlow this season, earned Honda the 2017 MotoGP Constructor title. It was the manufacturer’s 23rd such crown in history, and the sixth out of the last seven seasons.

With Dovizioso winning the race in front of Jorge Lorenzo and Johan Zarco, Marc will arrive at the season finale in Valencia leading the standings by 21 points over the Italian.

Pedrosa, who had been the fastest rider in Saturday’s dry conditions, wasn’t the happiest man when the rain started to fall, but a completely different setup prepared by his team, and the decision to use a soft rear tyre, allowed him to keep a decent pace and take fifth place, just behind his teammate.

Marc Marquez

4th

“Today the race was the most difficult one we could have had for the Championship because we had rain conditions and the track was extremely slippery. Anyway, I got a good start, and I tried to push at the beginning because I didn’t want to be stuck in the middle of the group. Then I tried to find the feeling and the pace but I saw that both the Ducatis were very fast, so I decided to not take too many risks, to be calm, and to get good points for the Championship. I thought about trying to get Zarco but the risk was too big just to have an advantage of 24 points instead of 21. This wasn’t the race to win the Title but rather one to get closer to it. I’m happy because after a difficult weekend, at a track where we always struggle, we still managed to finish fourth. Of course now we need to keep focused, to train well this week, and to work to be at 100% on Sunday in Valencia without relaxing too much with the advantage we have. Today we won the Constructor Title, and that’s a first step!”

Dani Pedrosa

5th

“Overall I’m happy with the result, and I’d like to thank my team for giving me a bike that allowed me to be competitive. Of course after earning the pole yesterday, the expectations would have been high if the conditions were dry, and when I saw the rain starting to fall I thought we might go from first to last. But in the end we changed the setting, trying something we had never used before in an effort to get more rear grip, and it worked! That and the choice of the soft rear tyre gave me confidence. The feeling still wasn’t perfect because the tyre was spinning on the straights, but at least it gave me edge grip and I was able to lean the bike. We’ve learned something that I think may also be helpful for the technicians in the future, so we can be satisfied. Today Honda won the Constructor Championship, and that’s important. It’s another title for the Company, and I’m happy about that.”

MotoGP 2017Sunday, October 29th 2017

Race
Round 17
Malaysia Motorcycle Grand PrixMalaysia

Race Results

Wet

Humidity

89%

Track Temp

33°C

Air Temp

25°C

Pos.

Rider

Num

Nation

Points

Team

Constructor

Time/Gap

1

Dovizioso Andrea

04

ITA

25

Ducati Team

Ducati

44'51.497

2

Lorenzo Jorge

99

SPA

20

Ducati Team

Ducati

0.743

3

Zarco Johann

5

FRA

16

Monster Yamaha Tech 3

Yamaha

9.738

4

Marquez Marc

93

SPA

13

Repsol Honda Team

Honda

17.763

5

Pedrosa Dani

26

SPA

11

Repsol Honda Team

Honda

29.144

6

Petrucci Danilo

9

ITA

10

Octo Pramac Racing

Ducati

30.380

7

Rossi Valentino

46

ITA

9

Movistar Yamaha MotoGP

Yamaha

30.769

8

Miller Jack

43

AUS

8

Marc VDS Racing Team

Honda

35.238

9

Vinales Maverick

25

SPA

7

Movistar Yamaha MotoGP

Yamaha

38.053

10

Espargaro Pol

44

SPA

6

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing

KTM

39.847

11

Bautista Alvaro

19

SPA

5

Pull&Bear Aspar Team

Ducati

42.559

12

Smith Bradley

38

GBR

4

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing

KTM

44.602

13

Redding Scott

45

GBR

3

Octo Pramac Racing

Ducati

48.696

14

Barbera Hector

8

SPA

2

Reale Avintia Racing

Ducati

50.058

15

Crutchlow Cal

35

GBR

1

Honda

50.705

16

Van Der Mark Michael

60

NDL

0

Monster Yamaha Tech 3

Yamaha

56.397

17

Iannone Andrea

29

ITA

0

Team Suzuki Ecstar

Suzuki

58.391

18

Rabat Tito

53

SPA

0

Marc VDS Racing Team

Honda

1'25.571

19

Lowes Sam

22

GBR

0

Aprilia Racing Team Gresini

Aprilia

11 laps

20

Abraham Karel

17

CZE

0

Pull&Bear Aspar Team

Ducati

12 laps

21

Baz Loris

76

FRA

0

Reale Avintia Racing

Ducati

15 laps

22

Rins Alex

42

SPA

0

Team Suzuki Ecstar

Suzuki

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Gallery

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Location Information

Specifically built for speed and exciting racing, the Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia is one of the world’s best. The 2,300 acre complex cost around £50m to construct and was built in just 14 months, holding its first Grand Prix in April 1999 and setting the standard for race circuits… read more.

Location Information

Specifically built for speed and exciting racing, the Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia is one of the world’s best. The 2,300 acre complex cost around £50m to construct and was built in just 14 months, holding its first Grand Prix in April 1999 and setting the standard for race circuits… read more.